My Girl
by zebraboymom
Summary: A defining moment for Andy changes her relationship with Sam forever.


My Girl

Sreed

Disclaimer: I would do just about anything to own them. In fact, I would make the sacrifice to move to Canada if need be. Just give me a call….please…

Spoilers: Everything from Season One

Author Notes: A one shot to help me get through the hard days ahead waiting 9 months to see my heroes again.

Andy stared out the window. Her list of safe things to talk about with Sam had been exhausted for the day and they had sunk into an uncomfortable silence. What happened to being "friends"? Sam had been awful ever since Andy moved in with Luke a month ago. She remembered his words the night of the drug bust. He made good on that. He still watched her back. His promise to be friends however, not so much. Andy wanted that back. She loved the teasing and the ridiculous jokes. She missed his dimples. He hardly ever smiled at her anymore. She sighed, propped her arm on the armrest and stared out the passenger window. She couldn't bear to look at Sam's tense profile any longer.

Sam looked straight ahead at the road. He heard Andy sigh and when he turned his head to look at her he only saw the back of her head. So, she couldn't even stand to look at him now. Great! He was doing a crappy job of handling the whole Luke and Andy living together thing. It drove him crazy to think about her playing house with Callaghan, He loved her so much. He ached with the feeling. He wanted to be there for her as a friend, but he didn't know what to do with all the feelings he still had for her. Just being this close to her in the confines of the car, smelling her, it was almost too much to bear.

The radio crackled to life and they responded to a break in at a warehouse down near Polson Pier. Sam was thankful for the distraction. He practically leaped from the car as he pulled into the parking lot.

"The Perp is probably gone, but let's check it out McNally."

The door was unlocked, so they went into the cool dark downstairs workshop area.

"Okay, McNally. You search this floor and I'll start on the second floor."

"But Sam…" She blanched at the accidental use of his first name. "There are 8 floors to this building!"

"Then we better get started."

Andy slowly covered the open downstairs area and then made her way up to the third floor to start yet again. It had been almost 30 minutes and she hadn't seen anything. She could hear Sam walking above her on the fourth floor, so she began to speed up her efforts. As she entered the stair well to start up to the fifth floor she heard a curse, a struggle and then heard two sets of feet rushing up the stairs. Andy ran out to the stairwell and started her accent. Just as she got to what she thought was the 6th floor she heard Sam yell and watched in horror as he hurtled down the stairs towards her, his gun dropping down past her and clattering to the landing below her.

"Sam, are you okay?"

Sam scrambled up and started past her down to his gun.

"I'm fine McNally, go! He's headed for the roof."

Andy just froze looking at him in disbelief.

"I'm really am okay, keep going. Don't lose him McNally."

Andy charged up the last two floors to the rooftop after the guy. As soon as she hit the door running she realized she had been too eager. He was on the other side waiting and as she burst through the door, she felt blinding pain in the side of her head. She felt herself being pushed towards the edge. As she went over, her hands grabbed for the building, frantically trying to hold on. The Perp just chuckled at her and started climbing down the fire escape.

Andy started screaming, "Help me, somebody help me!"

She could feel her hands starting to slip. The warehouse was over eight stories high. If she fell, it would certainly kill her. She tried to stay calm, but if Sam didn't find her, there was no way she was strong enough to pull herself back over the edge.

"Oh, God, somebody help me!"

The last thought she had was that she was about to die and she never told Sam what he meant to her. It was at that moment that Sam looked over the edge, terror filling his face. He grabbed her arms and lifted her up and over like she didn't weigh anything. He collapsed onto the rooftop cradling her in his arms. Then he said it.

"Andy." He hadn't spoken her first name in 4 weeks.

He held her in his lap, cradling her against him. "You're okay, Andy." He says it like a prayer of thanks.

"Just breath. I've got you."

Andy was hyperventilating with fear and Sam's soothing words helped her to slow her breathing and take some gulps of air in.

"That's my girl." He was holding her so tenderly. His hand was cradling her head to his heart. Andy wanted to stay in his arms forever. He hadn't touched her since the night of the undercover and it was killing her. This was…well…she had forgotten how safe she felt in his arms.

"I'm okay."

"Actually, you're not." He held up a hand covered in blood. "He got you in the temple."

He helped her to stand up and then she watched as he radioed for a bus. Her head was killing her and she began to feel like the sunlight was just too bright. She suddenly felt extremely dizzy. The ground started rising to meet her. Sam yelled her name again and swooped in to catch her.

"Andy!"

He swiftly lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the door and over to the freight elevator. As the gates closed he looked down at her with such tenderness.

"You're going to be okay McNally. I've got you. I've always got your back."

She reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand.

"I know you do. What would I do without you, Sam?"

That was the last thing Andy remembered.

The next thing she heard was the sound of the ambulance. It was so loud and it hurt her head. So did the bright lights. The only thing that didn't hurt was the feel of Sam's hand wrapped around hers and the stroking of his other hand over her forehead and into her hair. It was so soothing.

"Hey." When Sam spoke, Andy turned painfully to look at him. Had he been crying?

"Boy, am I glad to see those beautiful eyes again, McNally. You had me scared there for a minute." He struggled to clear his throat and gain some measure of control of his emotions.

"They think you have a concussion, so we are off to the hospital just to check you out."

Andy tried to smile and squeezed Sam's hand. She couldn't find her voice. She hoped Sam understood. She tried to convey everything she was feeling with her eyes. It was at that moment the ambulance arrived at the hospital. Sam went to let Andy's hand go and she held on tight. Panic set into her eyes. He could read her like a book.

"It's okay Andy. I am just going to let them lift you down and I will be right back at your side. You can't get rid of me that easily."

And then they hit the ER and things started happening pretty fast. They let Sam stay with her because of the uniform. One look at the nurses and his statement, "I'm her partner" was all it took. He held her hand while the nurses started an IV. The doctor began to run a preliminary check on her. It didn't take long before she was whisked off for a CAT scan. Sam could only go as afar as the door, but he reassured her he would be right outside when she came out again.

When he slipped his hand back into hers, she sighed and settled down on the gurney, closing her eyes. A smile appeared on her face and she whispered his name. "Sam." He thought his legs were going to turn to jelly. What was up with her? They didn't do this anymore, did they?

After that it was back to the ER for a long wait. The silence was unnerving him. She on the other hand looked perfectly content, happy even. Every once in a while she would open her eyes, look at him and smile. His heart was putty in her hands.

Finally he had to approach the inevitable. "Do you want me to call Luke?' Sam felt obligated to contact him. If she were his girlfriend, oh how he wished she were his girlfriend, he would want to know.

Andy looked at him for a long time and then whispered, "No. I only want to be with you."

Sam was sure he didn't have a concussion, but maybe he should get himself checked out. He did roll down a flight of stairs. Maybe he hit his head and didn't know it. He couldn't believe his ears.

"Andy, I don't think it's a good idea to keep Luke in the dark about this. I know I'd want to know if my girl was hurt."

"I am your girl. You said so."

"Andy, I think your concussion has you talking a little bit crazy right now. We aren't together. Not like that. You live with Luke. You have been for a month now. Don't you remember?"

Andy started to speak when the doctor came in the room and interrupted her. He explained that she had a mild concussion. Apparently the Perp hit like a girl, or his girl had a hard head. Sam smiled. There he went again thinking about her like his girl.

"Miss McNally, Officer McNally, do you have someone you can stay with? They need to wake you up and check on you every 3-4 hours. I can only recommend taking ibuprofen or acetaminophen for the pain. You should apply ice for 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off when you are awake. Rest in bed or do quiet activities for the first 24 hours. You may begin normal activities again after you feel better. I would recommend desk duty for at least a few days."

Sam stood and shook his hand. "Thanks Doctor."

"Take good care of her."

Sam's eyes full of affection locked with Andy's. "I will. Believe me, I will."

"So, I guess I need a babysitter. Got any ideas?"

"I would move heaven and earth for you Andy. You know that, but again, I think you need to sort this out with Luke. If he doesn't want to take the time off, then I'm the guy for you. I just don't imagine he would be too keen about that. I know I wouldn't be."

"Phone." 

"What?" 

"Give me my phone…now."

Sam reached into the drawer by her bed and handed her cell to her. Andy sat up in bed grimacing from the pain and dialed her number one speed dial.

"Luke. Yeah, it's me. Did you hear? Yeah, I figured you did. Yeah, about that, had you planned to take time out of your busy schedule to check and see if I'm still alive? Oh, well, that was nice of Jerry to let you know. I'm so glad you didn't have to make the lengthy trip down to the ER to hold my hand, Fair? I'm not fair? You have a lot of nerve throwing that in my face. Yes, he is here and he hasn't left my side. Yeah, well, that's why I'm calling. Seems I got my priorities out of order somehow. When you get home, start boxing up my stuff will ya? I'll be by for it in a few days when I am able to stand up without puking. Oh, so now you care. Yeah, I did get a concussion, thanks for asking. By the way, I'm leaving with Sam, so don't loose any sleep over whether I'll have some place to stay. I'm just glad I didn't put my name on the papers. Enjoy the new apartment Callaghan."

Andy slapped the cell phone shut and a guilty look spread over her face. Then a smirk began to replace it. "Man, that felt good."

Sam was at a loss for words. This was not the Andy he knew. He definitely liked this girl too though. "Andy, what just happened?"

"I'm not really sure. I just know that when you are dangling eight stories above the street, everything becomes very clear to you."

"What do you mean, clear? What becomes clear?"

Just then the charge nurse came in with her papers and a wheelchair. Within minutes they were outside getting into a taxi.

"Where to?"

"Um, I was hoping to your place. I don't exactly have a "place" to go to."

"Well, you're welcome to stay at my place as long as you want. That's what friends are for, right?"

Andy remained silent the rest of the trip.

Twenty minutes later Sam unlocked the door to his apartment. "Do you want to lie down, or watch a movie or maybe eat?"

"That's a lot of choices Sam. Could we maybe sit down and just talk?" 

Sam swallowed hard. "Okay…" He sat carefully down on the couch leaving plenty of room between him and Andy. He didn't want to blow his dream second chance with this amazing woman by doing something stupid. The ball was in her court.

"Let me start by saying, thank you for calling me a friend. I wondered where my funny friend went with the terrible puns."

"I'm sorry Andy. I know I've been a jerk lately. It's just…"

"It's just what?"

"It's just…"

Reel it in Swarek, you're going to sink yourself. Too late. He couldn't hold back his feelings any longer.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to watch you with another guy? To know you're in his bed every night? To act like I never held you that way, touched you that way, tasted you that way? God, Andy. I'm only human."

"So, you were jealous?"

Sam was resting his bent arms on his thighs. He hung his head and nodded ever so slightly. Andy's heart swelled with excitement. That was the confirmation she needed.

"It's kind of ironic when you didn't have anything to be jealous about. I may have been with Luke, but my heart was always somewhere else. Hanging from that building today made me realize I don't have time to avoid things that scare me anymore. You scare me Sam."

"He turned his head to look up into her eyes. "I scare you?"

"Totally."

"Why?"

"You scare me because of the potential you have to destroy me. You are everything I have ever wanted in my life. I never had anyone treat me the way you do. You make me laugh, you put me first, you protect me, you have an unwavering belief in me as a cop even when I doubt myself and you make me feel so loved. That scares me to death. It's why I keep pushing you away. People I love always let me down Sam. I love you and if you let me down, I will never recover."

"Wait. You love me?"

"Apparently, thinking I was plunging to my death helped me to realize that as scared as I was, if I died and you never knew how I felt, well, that was worse than the idea of dying."

Silence filled the room, but Sam's eyes never left Andy's. She saw a million emotions cross his face and speak from those eyes that were getting impossibly darker by the second. In an instant there was no space between them. He wrapped her up in his arms and pulled her into his lap again like he did on the roof. One hand slipped up to caress her cheek and then he gently pressed his lips to her bandaged temple, then to her cheek where his hand had been and finally her lips for a kiss that quickly developed into what could only be described as epic. He literally took her breath away as he explored her lips and pushed his way into her mouth, stroking her tongue with his. He sighed and ran his hand through her hair as he slowly pulled back from the kiss. She looked into his eyes that were shining with unshed tears.

"Andy…" Her name was a whisper. "Andy I love you…so much."

He stood up with her in his arms and carried her back to his bedroom, gently laying her down on the bed. He slipped her shoes and socks off, his eyes never leaving hers. He reached in a drawer of his dresser and pulled out one of his t-shirts. He sat down beside her on the bed and gently unbuttoned her police uniform, sliding his hands inside the open shirt and lifting her up into his arms to slide it off her. She leaned forward into his chest and reveled in the sensations. He leaned down and placed tender kisses all along her now bare shoulder. Then he picked up the t-shirt and slipped it over her head, helping her put her hands through the sleeves. He laid her gently back on the bed and then without breaking eye contact with her, unbuckled her belt, unzipped her uniform pants and slid them down her legs. Andy thought she was going to pass out and it wasn't from the concussion. He placed a warm kiss on the inside of one of her ankles and then slipped his arm under her legs and moved them under the covers. He brought the sheet and blanket up, tucking her in.

"Sam."

"Shh. You need to rest, Baby. I will wake you up in 3 hours and maybe by then your headache will have improved."

"Sam, I need more than just rest. I need you to stay with me. Please?"

Sam stood up and smiled at her with those deep dimples that always made her relax. He kept looking at her as he removed his uniform down to his boxer briefs and walked around to the other side of the bed. He set his cell phone alarm for 3 hours and then slid under the covers and pulled her into his arms. Andy nestled in and placed her head on his chest, listening to his heart. It was beating really fast and she couldn't help but run her fingers across his soft chest hair. His scent enveloped her and she could feel herself relax. Sam's hand slipped into her hair stroking his fingers gently through it. His other hand captured hers as it began to wander over his muscular torso.

"Woman, you are going to have to stop that. You're killing me here, Andy. I am a man and I haven't been with anyone since I met you, so you need to stop right now before I break doctor's orders and take you right now."

"So, why don't you?" Andy began to smile as she planted kisses on his chest.

"I'll tell you why. You are my girl now and therefore my responsibility. I need to take care of you. Once the concussion is better I plan to learn every inch of that beautiful body. I also happen to care about the beautiful mind that goes with it, so let's heal that first, okay?

"Okay, my head is still hurting. I love how you take care of me."

"That's my girl."

Andy settled down and as Sam's fingers kept stroking through her hair, she felt herself drift off to sleep. She knew what she would dream about. She would dream about what it would be like to truly be his girl.


End file.
